<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>esteemed water feature by catpoop</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27501682">esteemed water feature</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/catpoop/pseuds/catpoop'>catpoop</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hades (Video Game 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Universe, Gen, Humor, Hypnos POV, bc its... hypnos</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 02:53:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>924</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27501682</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/catpoop/pseuds/catpoop</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hypnos stands guard by the Pool of Styx. It's a very <i>very</i> serious job.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>162</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>esteemed water feature</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As the personification of sleep itself, Hypnos is fortunate enough to hold a valuable position at the House of Hades, even if there may be <i>other</i> personifications more suited for the role. He tries to remind himself this as he dozes in mid-air, one eye cracked open at all times to monitor the Pool down the hall.</p><p>The Pool, opening onto a wide set of steps and flanked on either side by the imposing columns of the House, flows with the red blood of the river Styx. Gross. The water is mostly still, save for gentle ripples of the waterfall pouring from the giant <i>oenochoe</i> sculpted into the wall.</p><p>Still, until some esteemed mortal dead comes rising from beneath the surface, and Hypnos has to triple check his multiple lists and verify the identity of the shade as it floats, usually cowering, into the Lord Hades’ palace.</p><p>Sometimes a whole troop of warriors, and Hypnos all but slumps to the ground, parchment held above his face as he calls out the names of the recently-dead in his most lacklustre tone. The Pool has been more active as of late, indicating some mortal skirmish up on the surface. Thanatos has also made himself scarce in the House, surely overrun by work.</p><p>Hypnos stifles a yawn.</p><p>At least some things have changed around here, though he can’t admit to them offering a reprieve in between the groups of exalted infantrymen demanding his attention.</p><p>The first time the skeletal figure of the Hydra rises out of the seemingly shallow depths of the Pool, Hypnos lets loose a shriek loud enough to shake the Lord and Master from behind his mountains of parchmentwork.</p><p>“What in the gods – !”</p><p>“Silence, fool!” Hades curses, and Hypnos meeps in acquiescence. </p><p>The Hydra meets this command with an ear-splitting roar, and Hades bangs his fist on his desk even louder, until the tiled floor beneath its skeletal body opens up to swallow it whole and send it to its post in the Underworld. At least, Hypnos presumes. Being a staff-only Pool, the Hydra must still be in Hades’ employ if it is to come to surging out of the water like that.</p><p>Hypnos hopes never to be struck down on the job, if only to avoid the slim chance that he has to share the confines of the Pool with that monster.</p><p>“Stupid beast,” Hades mutters, and Hypnos is forced to agree.</p><p>He floats cautiously at his post after that, side-eyeing the Pool of peaceful red as Dusa rushes past to clean up where the river has spilled into their hallway.</p><p>Zagreus is evidently up to no good, if the frequency with which Megaera storms past him cursing his name is any indication. Hypnos silently watches her go from over top of his parchment. </p><p>It is also made evident by the way Zagreus launches his previously-dead body from the Pool in a dead sprint every moment Hypnos is not napping, to the point that he has gotten tired of greeting the Prince every time.</p><p>Hypnos stifles another yawn, watching Zagreus coddle Cerberus with furious head-scratches before dashing off into his chambers and beyond. He better be going to bed this once, like any sensible being ought to. On a whim, Hypnos sends a wave of drowsiness through the House, just to see the Lord Hades yawn at his desk. </p><p>He snickers.</p><p>“You watch it over there!” Hades bellows, and Hypnos stops grinning immediately, turning innocently to face the Pool. Hard at work here, yes sirree.</p><p>This is how he fails to notice the big dog Cerberus disappear from his plush dog bed, and subsequently gets the scare of his eternal life when Cerberus himself comes wading out of the Pool, whining in an obvious show of defeat.</p><p>“He did not– !” Hypnos gasps.</p><p>Cerberus shuffles dolefully down the hall back to his bed as Hypnos checks and triple-checks his list, only to find no sign of the great beast’s name in the past month of records.</p><p>“Hey!” He points at Cerberus, and the dog whines ever louder. One head bares its teeth at him while the other two look pleadingly to Hades, and Hypnos decides to keep his mouth shut for once. </p><p>Cerberus shakes himself dry right there in the middle of the hall, before plopping back down on his bed. More work for Dusa – Hypnos does not envy her one bit.</p><p> </p><p>The chaos all culminates as Zagreus wreaks his fastest havoc yet, depositing a grumbling Megaera into the pool mere minutes before the Hydra and Cerberus make their appearances, one more vengeful than the other. The shades waiting in line screech and duck out of the way as the two beasts wrestle for space within the narrow hallway, and Hypnos lets out a little squawk himself. But this cacophony pales in comparison to the booming voice of the Master of the House.</p><p>“That is enough! Cease this nonsense!” One ring-encrusted hand points at Cerberus. “Cerberus, return to your station. Hydra, begone from here!”</p><p>He steps out from behind his desk, one of the rare few times Hypnos has seen such a thing, and mutters darkly to himself. “Pah, having to take matters into my own hands…”</p><p>Hades disappears into a whirlwind of smoke a second later, and Hypnos grips his parchment tightly, still reeling. He scarcely dares to check when it glows in his hands soon after. The frazzled shades have yet to re-form their queue, but it hardly matters when Hades comes stomping out of the Pool.</p><p>Hypnos stays very, very silent.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <a href="https://swummeng-geys.tumblr.com">tumblr</a>
  <br/>
  <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag_yikes">twitter</a>
</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>